Securing Magento

Overview

Magento has a few basic things to keep an eye on to keep you and your customers safe.

Quick Wins

Change the admin url

The default Magento admin URL is /admin - although it's not a perfect solution to change this, it will stop a lot of bots stressing your server.

1. Edit the /app/etc/local.xml file.
2. Look for <frontName><![CDATA[admin]]></frontName>
3. Change 'admin' to something else.
4. Clear the cache & login at the new URL.

Don't change this by editing the setting in the Magento config section - this can make it difficult to log into your site

Restrict access to the Magento Connect page

The default URL for this is /downloader; this is a classic target for people trying to get in. Once in, people could install an extension which allows total access to the attacker. 2 different ways to protect this:

Move the /downloader folder

1. Just move it outside the web root. When you need it again move it back in.

Restrict access to specific IPs

If you're using Nginx:

1.

Edit your /conf.d files, inside the server { block, to include this: #block access to downloader location /downloader/ { allow 11.22.33.44; deny all; } Edit the 11.22.33.44 to match your IP. If you have multiples just add a new line for each.

2.

Remember to restart Nginx after editing this.

If you're using Apache:

1.

Edit your /downloader/.htaccess file to include these lines: Order deny,allow Deny from all Allow from 11.22.33.44 Edit the 11.22.33.44 to match your IP. If you have multiples just add a new line for each.